Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973
Section 504 is a civil rights law as opposed to a funding law. It prohibits the discrimination of individuals with disabilities by school districts who are receiving federal funds. A child is eligible for accommodations under Section 504 if the child has a physical or mental impairment affecting a major life activity such as walking, seeing, hearing, breathing, learning, or working. The impairment must be substantial. Students are entitled to reasonable accommodations or modifications deemed necessary to ensure academic success.
These reasonable accommodations may include physical adaptations such as the use of study carrels or proximity seating. Instructional adjustments include multi-modal presentation of content, adjustments in schedules and pacing, repeating directions, modifying texts, using audio recordings, computers, etc. Test modifications such as using alternate formats or adjusting length and time of delivery may also be appropriate.
Accommodations may be environmental such as allowing the student to work in a quiet distraction free environment or using headphones as needed. Health accommodations may allow for adjusting of the requirements for physical activity or allowing for the administration of specific medications. Curricular accommodations may allow for the use of books on tape or the use of graphic organizers such as outlines, pictures, story maps etc.
Other compensatory strategies may include allowing the student to use a spell checker, cue cards, manipulatives, number lines, calculators and color coding.
A 504 plan describes the adjustments or modifications made by the classroom teachers and other staff members to enable students with disabilities to benefit from their education. A team approach ensures that everyone is on board with meeting the expectations delineated in the student’s 504 plan.
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